FIFA: Blatter ponders change to points system

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has told a new football task force to investigate whether there should be a change to the system of three points for a win and one for a draw.

The Task Force Football 2014 has been set up to look at the laws of the game and come up with ways to make it more attractive, with the aim of introducing changes at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Blatter said in an interview with www.fifa.com: "Its objective is to assess tournaments and the way in which the game is organised.

"Let me give you a few examples. At the moment three points are awarded for a win and one for a draw, which is something we can discuss and decide whether it's a good thing or not.

"Is extra-time the only option we have when a game ends in a draw? And if we stick with extra-time, how should we end games? Is it worth taking another look at the golden goal? Some people like it, some people don't."

The task force is made up of football administrators, players and ex-players, referees and medical experts. It was set up in the wake of last year's World Cup finals in South Africa, where there was criticism about the quality and Blatter is keen to make the group matches in particular more competitive.

Blatter also claims there are too many domestic matches for clubs in countries such as England and Spain.

He added: "The other big issue is the calendar. In my view, and this is something on which (UEFA president] Michel Platini agrees, domestic championships are too long because there are too many teams and too many matches.

"Teams in leagues with 20 clubs play 38 games, on top of which they also have national cup competitions and league cups, etc.

"This also creates a conflict of interest between national teams and clubs, some of whom complain that their players come back tired or injured.

"That's not the fault of the international calendar, however, and it's a subject that ought to be discussed."

Blatter responded to criticism of referees by saying FIFA had a target of having professional referees only at the 2014 World Cup.

England's Howard Webb was one of only a tiny minority of professional referees at the last World Cup - in which he refereed the final. There were two serious mistakes by officials at the tournament - Frank Lampard's infamous disallowed goal for England against Germany and a clearly offside goal by Carlos Tevez for Argentina against Mexico.

Blatter said: "We have a very clear target in this respect, and that's to have only professional referees officiating at the 2014 World Cup. That's a target we have to reach.

"Coaches are professional now and so are players, and there's no reason why referees shouldn't be either. Some people say there's not enough money to pay them, but there always seems to be plenty in the professional leagues."

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